Davis Cup: Australia completes 5-0 whitewash of China

 

Australia completed a 5-0 whitewash of China in the Davis Cup Sunday with straight sets victories for Chris Guccione and Matthew Ebden.

 

Guccione downed Wu Di 6-2, 6-4 in a best-of-three rubber and Davis Cup debutant Ebden beat Ma Yanan 6-4, 6-2 in his reverse singles match.

 

Australia went into Sunday with a tie-winning 3-0 lead after Guccione and Davis Cup veteran Lleyton Hewitt won Saturday s doubles clash with Li Zhe and Zhang Ze — China s best-ranked male player — in straight sets.

 

Hewitt had already downed Zhang Ze in Friday s opening singles while rising Australian talent Bernard Tomic overcame youngster Wu Di.

 

Australia now advances to the second round of Asia/Oceania qualifiers, where they will battle South Korea for a place in the World Group playoffs.
 

N. Korea restricts Chinese currency in markets: Report

 

North Korea has banned the use of China s yuan and other foreign currency in its markets, saying this was part of the last instructions of late leader Kim Jong-Il, according to a Seoul-based aid group.

 

People have repeatedly been instructed to go to banks and exchange foreign currency for the won, Good Friends said its English-language newsletter seen Tuesday.

 

Those using yuan in markets or circulating it would be severely punished and have their money confiscated, it said.

 

“We are just carrying out the policy that had been adopted last October,” an unidentified party official was quoted as saying.

 

Kim died on December 17, to be succeeded by his son Jong-Un.

 

The measure was part of the new regime s policy to slow down the North s economic dependence on China since the use of yuan in markets has been rising, Good Friends said.

 

The aid group said the yuan has been widely used in the North since the regime s currency reform in late 2009 backfired disastrously, fuelling food shortages and sparking rare unrest.

 

It said merchants do not sell goods unless paid with yuan or dollars, aggravating the hardships of ordinary citizens who cannot obtain foreign currency.

 

Daily NK, a Seoul-based online news outlet run by defectors, also reported in early January that the use of yuan and dollars had been banned. It said the measure could cause chaos because most market transactions are in yuan.

 

“They said it is part of General Kim Jong-Il s last instructions and didn t say what the reason is, so it is being strictly enforced,” a source in the North s Hamkyong province was quoted as saying.

 

The North s official food distribution system, part of its state-directed economy, largely collapsed during the famine years of the mid to-late 1990s. Private markets sprang up as people struggled to survive.

 

Pyongyang has made several attempts in the past to restrict their business. But analysts say members of the regime or the military are now involved with some market operations.

US, S. Korea to hold joint military drill

 

The United States and South Korea said Friday they would start two major annual joint military exercises in February and March despite the sensitive power transition under way in North Korea.

 

The Key Resolve drill will start on February 27 and continue until March 9. Separately, a joint air, ground and naval field training exercise known as Foal Eagle will be held from March 1 to April 30.

 

Seoul and Washington, which bases 28,500 troops in the South, say the drills are defensive and routine but the North habitually terms them a rehearsal for invasion.

 

Key Resolve, a computerised command post exercise, involves about 200,000 South Korean troops and 2,100 US soldiers.

 

It is “routine and defence-oriented, designed to enhance readiness, protect the region and maintain stability on the Korean peninsula”, General James D. Thurman, commander of US troops in South Korea, said in a statement.

 

“It is based on realistic scenarios, using various assumed threats,” he said.

 

Foal Eagle will include about 11,000 US forces along with South Korean troops in division-sized or smaller units, US authorities said.

 

North Korea has denounced the exercises as warmongering.

 

The North has taken a hostile tone with the South since its leader Kim Jong-Il died on December 17 and was replaced by his youngest son Jong-Un.

 

The new leader has been appointed armed forces chief and has visited several units in an apparent attempt to burnish his military credentials.

 

Cross-border tensions have been high since the South accused the North of torpedoing a warship with the loss of 46 lives in March 2010.

 

The North denied involvement but eight months later shelled a border island and killed four South Koreans.

Chinese generals spy talk leaked

 It wasn’t clear when or where Maj Gen Jin Yinan made the comments. While some of the cases had been announced before, few details had been released, while others involving the military had been entirely secret.

Among those Jin discussed was that of former Ambassador to South Korea Li Bin, who was sentenced to seven years for corruption. Jin said Li had actually been discovered passing secrets to South Korea that compromised China s position in North Korean nuclear disarmament talks, but the allegations were too embarrassing to make public and graft charges were brought instead.

 “In all the world, what nation s ambassador serves as another country s spy?” Jin said.

Asian stocks up

Asian News: Asian stock markets rose Tuesday as tensions on the Korean peninsula eased a few notches.

Investors spent the previous day worried about possible North Korean retaliation against South Korean military drills on a frontline island that was shelled by the North last month. Instead, Pyongyang backed off threats to strike back and reportedly offered concessions on its nuclear program.Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average climbed 1.5 percent to 10,370.53 after the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy unchanged at the current super loose setting after a key survey last week showed deteriorating business sentiment.Japanese exporters climbed, with Sony Corp. up 2.7 percent and Canon Inc. adding 1.6 percent.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index added 1.4 percent to 22,966.08. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.8 percent to 2,037.09 and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.8 percent at 4,771.90.China’s Shanghai Composite Index jumped 1.8 percent to 2,904.30. Markets in Taiwan, India, and Singapore also rose.In New York Monday, low trading volumes and a lack of economic reports kept stocks confined to a narrow range Monday. Indexes finished mixed and bond yields were barely changed.The Dow Jones industrial average fell 13.78, or 0.1 percent, to 11,478.13. The broader Standard and Poor’s 500-stock index rose 3.17, or 0.3 percent, to 1,247.08. The Nasdaq composite index gained 6.59, or 0.3 percent, to finish at 2,649.56.

Foreign moviegoers rescue ailing ‘Narnia’

LOS ANGELES: The third movie in the shaky “Narnia” fantasy franchise took the top spot at the worldwide box office on Sunday despite a soft start in North America where it overshadowed “The Tourist,” the new bomb starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.

“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” sold $105.5 million worth of tickets globally, distributor 20th Century Fox said.

But moviegoers in the United States and Canada contributed just $24.5 million during its first three days. Industry pundits had predicted a $30 million to $40 million start for the third adaptation of C.S. Lewis” Christian-themed books.

The News Corp-owned studio said the film was No. 1 in at least 32 of its 56 overseas markets. Top contributors to the $81 million haul included Russia ($11.3 million) and Mexico ($7.5 million).

“The Tourist,” starring Jolie and Depp as a mismatched pair cavorting around Venice, debuted at No. 2 in North America with $17 million — short of muted forecasts in the $20 million range. Internationally, it earned $8 million from a handful of markets, led by Korea ($3 million, No. 2) and Britain ($2.2 million, No. 3)

Both films were lambasted by critics, and both carried hefty price tags — $150 million and $100 million, respectively — requiring strong overseas sales to make them profitable. The two previous “Chronicles of Narnia” films did most of their business overseas, where Depp and Jolie are also more popular.

The previous “Narnia” film almost sank the franchise. “Prince Caspian” opened to $55 million in 2008 on its way to a weak total of $142 million. The overseas haul was $278 million. Its predecessor, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” ended up with $292 million in North America after a $66 million debut. Foreign fans kicked in an additional $453 million.

Fox took over the series after Walt Disney Co dropped it in the wake of the “Caspian” flop. The films are produced by family-friendly film company Walden Media, which is owned by billionaire Philip Anschutz.

Fox said it succeeded in its aim of resurrecting the franchise, and was “excited” about its overall prospects.

“The Tourist” marks the worst start in years for its high-profile stars. Jolie”s last big flop was “A Mighty Heart,” which opened to $3.9 million in 2007. Depp has to go back to 2001 for a worse performance: “From Hell,” with $11 million.

Jolie was in theaters a few months ago with “Salt,” whose so-so domestic total of $118 million (including a $36 million opening) was boosted by foreign sales of $175 million.

Depp starred in one of the biggest movies of the year, “Alice in Wonderland,” which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, two-thirds coming from overseas.

The new film also did worse than a recent pair of unloved matchups between big stars, “The Bounty Hunter,” with Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler ($21 million); and “Knight and Day,” with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz ($20 million). They finished with $67 million and $76 million, respectively, in North America. “Bounty Hunter” made a similar amount overseas, while “Knight and Day” earned $185 million internationally.

“The Tourist” was distributed by Sony Corp”s Columbia Pictures, which has limited financial exposure. The studio is receiving a distribution fee from Oscar-winning producer Graham King (“The Departed”), who arranged financing himself.

Last weekend”s North American champion, the Disney cartoon “Tangled,” slipped to No. 3 with $14.6 million. Its total rose to $115.6 million after three weekends. Foreign sales stand at $77 million from 17 markets.

Perhaps the biggest splash in the top 10 was made by the smallest movie. “Black Swan” jumped seven places to No. 6 with $3.3 million from just 90 theaters in its second weekend. The ballet thriller, starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, is among the dozens of films vying for awards-season attention. It was distributed by Fox Searchlight, the arthouse arm of 20th Century Fox.

US and Japan Stage Joint Drill Amid Regional Tensions

U.S. and Japanese forces began military maneuvers on Friday, heaping pressure on North Korea which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said posed an “immediate threat” to the region and a long-term threat to the world.

South Korea, which joined U.S. forces in military drills this week days after North Korea shelled a South Korean island, has for the first time joined the maneuvers as an observer as the three countries seek to rein in the reclusive North.

Two marines and two civilians were killed in the attack on Yeonpyeong, prompting a return of fire by the South minutes later, ramping up tension between the two sides that have technically been at war since their 1950-53 conflict which ended in a truce, not a treaty.

The exercises that began on Friday will involve about 44,500 military personnel from both countries in waters east of the southern island of Okinawa, home to a controversial U.S. military base, and elsewhere.

About 60 ships, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington and 400 aircraft, will take part in eight days of drills.

“North Korea poses an immediate threat to the region around us, particularly to South Korea and Japan,” Clinton said in the Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek, according to a transcript released by the State Department.

“It poses a medium-term threat if it were to collapse to China, because of refugees and other instability. And it poses a long-term threat to the entire world, because of its nuclear program, and its export of weapons around the world.”

She said South Korea had exercised “great restraint.”

CHINA ROLE

The United States has been pushing China, North Korea’s only major ally, to bring the reclusive country to heel. China has refused to blame North Korea for last week’s attack, or for the earlier sinking of a South Korean naval vessel. A team international investigators said the North torpedoed the ship.

On Wednesday, South Korea’s spy chief said it was highly likely the North would attack its wealthy neighbor again.

China, which said it would not play favorites in the dispute, has proposed emergency talks of the six countries — the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States — involved in North Korean denuclearization negotiations. Only Russia has given its support.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu responded to criticism that China was not doing enough with a thinly disguised slap at the U.S.-South Korea military maneuvers.

“Those who brandish weapons are seen to be justified, yet China is criticized for calling for talks. Is that justified?”

The foreign ministers of the United States, Japan and South Korea are to meet in Washington on Monday to discuss North Korea. China is not included.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the talks would focus on the shelling of Yeonpyeong and include North Korea’s nuclear advances. A ministry official said the aim was to produce a written statement to that effect.

Six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear program were suspended in December 2008 after North Korea walked out.

South Korea’s Lee warns North against further attacks

SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Monday labeled North Korea’s artillery attack on a southern island a crime against humanity and said Pyongyang will pay the price for any further provocation.

Lee made his first address to the nation since last Tuesday’s attack as U.S. as South Korean war ships took part in day two of military maneuvers, prompting concern in regional power China and threats of all-out war from North Korea.

“North Korea will pay the price in the event of further provocations,” Lee said. “Attacking civilians militarily is an inhumane crime that is strictly forbidden in a time of war.”

The bombardment of the island of Yeonpyeong killed two Marines and two civilians, prompting outrage among South Koreans who say their government has been too weak in its response.

China has proposed emergency talks amid global pressure on

‘Extraordinary’ Games close with China dominant

An “extraordinary” Asian Games on Saturday closed after 15 days of thrills and spills that saw China reinforce its sporting credentials and Japan slip further behind.

On the last day of action at an Asiad unprecedented in size and scale, China fittingly won the last gold at stake when their women’s volleyball team toppled South Korea 3-2 in a thrilling finale.

Zhou Chunxiu earlier added yet more gold to their glittering haul by defending her women’s marathon title with teammate Zhu Xiaolin taking silver and North Korea’s Kim Kum-Ok the bronze.

South Korea’s Ji Youngjun won the men’s race.

The volleyball success pushed the host nation’s final gold tally to 199 and its total medals to a whopping 416 — both Asian Games records.

While China basked in its most successful Asiad ever, its arch-rival Japan performed worse then expected, winning just

12th Digicon6 Awards: China’s ‘See Through’ wins big, India gets regional grand

Tokyo: TBS DigiCon6 announced the winners for 12th TBS DigiCon6 Awards in a grand ceremony held at Marunouchi Building Hall on November 19, 2010. The event

was indeed a historic one for Asian Animation industry where creativity and effort got recognition and appreciation at the centre stage.

Attended by the who’s who of the Asian animation industry, the Golden Digicon6 Award was won by China’s official entry See Through, made by Jokelate.

India’s Wilson Periera made by National Institute of Design’s young turk Dhaneesh Jameson, won Asian Regional Grand Prize.

China’s representative Yang Yu, who was present at the ceremony on behalf of Jokelate, commented, “I am sure this award means a lot to the creative effort

put together by Jokelate and he would be very excited to know about his victory. This award is not going to be an end to his work and efforts but will be a

motivation for him to work further in his life.”

This year TBS DigiCon6 received over 2,000 entries from Japan and other Asian
regions such as China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines,
Taiwan and Thailand. TBS DigiCon6 Asia jury selected the awards winners for six
categories and announced them at the ceremony. TBS DigiCon6 Japan jury selected the awards winners for nine categories and announced them, too.

An elated Dhaneesh added, “I really feel proud and honored to have won this prize and to represent the country. The film was well received at Digicon6 than

any other festivals that I have been till now. I got the biggest compliment for my film from the well known Korean director Kwak Jae-yong and I was

speechless when he said he personally got my film subtitled in Korean and watched it over 5 times!”

TBS DigiCon6 was organized in 2000 by Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc, one of major television stations, to discover and support new talent. It has been

inviting digital contents creators, both professionals and amateurs, to submit their original works in the competition, and it is widely recognized for its

achievement.

Complete list of 12th TBS DigiCon6 Awards winners:

12th TBS DigiCon6 Awards Winners
Golden DigiCon6 Award – See Through – Jokelate CHINA
Silver DigiCon6 Award – Googuri Googuri – Yoshiko Misumi JAPAN
Bronze DigiCon6 Award – Kung Fu Bunny 3 – Counterattack- Li Zhiyong CHINA

Encouragement Awards:
Fumiko’s Confession – Hiroyasu Ishida JAPAN
Temple Rider – Radio Television Hong Kong / Simage Animation & Media Ltd. HONG KONG
CONTAINED – Henry Zhuang & Harry Zhuang SINGAPORE

12th TBS DigiCon6 JAPAN Regional Awards Winners
Grand Prize – Fumiko’s Confession – Hiroyasu Ishida JAPAN

Outstanding Performance Awards:
The Light of Life – Daihei Shibata JAPAN
Googuri Googuri – Yoshiko Misumi JAPAN

Encouragement Awards:
UTOPIAN – TOKUNAGA MARIKO JAPAN
Dreamer – Naohisa Ikuta JAPAN
SUNRISE Award – Rainy Holiday – Kaneko Osamu JAPAN
Adobe Systems Award – ab-rah KOHEI YOSHINO JAPAN
Hewlett-Packard & ATI Award – Amagoi Suzuki Ippei JAPAN
Mitsubishi Estate Award – Travel of Art – YU MASHIMO JAPAN
BS-TBS Award – Sepia Clock – Gaku Kinoshita JAPAN
Hole Makino Atsushi JAPAN

Prize for Effort:
Hole – Makino Atsushi JAPAN
Tokyo Teleport – Takeda Yuta JAPAN
a song like a fish – Taijin Takeuchi JAPAN
A GUM BOY – Masaki Okuda JAPAN
flesh color – masahiko Adachi JAPAN

Asian Regional Awards Grand Prizes
CHINA: Kung Fu Bunny 3 – Counterattack – Li Zhiyong
HONGKONG: Temple Rider – Radio Television Hong Kong / Simage Animation & Media Ltd.
INDIA: WILSON PERIERA – Dhaneesh Jameson
KOREA: Tom N Jerry – CHOI JIN SUNG
MALAYSIA: Bo Boi Boy – ANIMONSTA STUDIOS SDN. BHD.
PHILIPPINES: Mutya – Nelson “Blog” A. Caliguia, Jr.
SINGAPORE: Calypso Agency – Jose Andres Velasco
TAIWAN: CREATION – Hsuan-Ying Lu
THAILAND: Impassable – NATTAPORN YIAMCHAWEE

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